How the Wii Was Born

Link ---> How the Wii Was Born

The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo.  It has a wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and detects movement in three dimensions.  The Nintendo engineers and managers seemed very excited about the Wii and the potential it has to make gaming more accessible to a wider audience.  The Wii was designed to take processor technology improvements and use them to make the unit run with less heat, by making the chips smaller.  The design of the Wii was meant to be small enough to where it could fit into a space between other components.  Unlike the GameCube that has wired controllers, the Wii controllers are hand wireless. The machine must be placed close by the TV, this restricts the physical space of the machine.  Although the Wii looks like a box, it was designed to have a look that no one would hate. The Wii has a design with a glossy outer shell, which is a departure from older Nintendo consoles. The Wii is a perfect example of evolving technology.  Although there were plenty game systems before the Wii, Nintendo designers still wanted to surprise the audience with something new.  The Nintendo Wii represents a bold new direction for the company.

Reimer, J. (2007). How the Wii Was Born.  Ars Technica, p. 1-2.

Smartphones: Our National Obsession

Link ---> Smartphones: Our National Obsession

Only one in five Americans own a smartphone. For those who have one of these devices, the experience can be life-changing. Now, you can no longer wait a an entire day to reply to an e-mail, or several hours to respond to a text message without violating an evolving social norm.  Before, places like school institutions who were once enemies of the phone culture are now embracing them.  Only a few places are off-limits to smartphones, partly because texting, Internet browsing, and other things can be done quietly.  Although phones aren't permitted in the movie theater, its hard going into a movie now without seeing the glare of a smartphone screen.  Some researchers say that intense multitasking can degrade a person's ability to think creatively and focus deeply. Many people can't be without their phone for less than an hour or for any time at that. They feel a sense of being disconnected from whats going on in the world.  Although the smartphone can be a distraction, its a very useful device to have.  Technology is evolving, so maybe its not such a bad idea to embrace it.  Mobile life may be the way of the future.

Sutler, J. (2010, October, 18). Smartphones: Our National Obsession. CNN, p. 1-3.

Online Privacy

  Link ---> Online Privacy

There is no such thing as "online privacy," once you put something up on the web it remains there forever.  As Jeff Godlis states in the article, "when teens sit down at their computer terminals, they think they're alone," although they may be engaging in one-on-one chats, they don't realize that there are one-on-billions out there.  Seventy percent of teens have online profiles on social network sites.  About half of them don't think that putting out their personal information can negatively affect their future.  Putting up an inappropriate picture can definitely do harm to your future.  Say if you try to get an important job for instance, or even is seen as a role model, that picture could get in the way of something you're trying to pursue. Also, it gives you a bad image even if you didn't intend for it to be seen that way.  Although setting a profile to private can be a way to keep safe online, it doesn't always keep information confidential.  The best way to stay super safe is just to avoid putting any sensitive material on the Internet.  If you know your parents, grandparents, teachers, or whoever may not approve of something you put on the web, then maybe it's a good idea not to post it.  Keep your reputation clean, only post things that will be suitable for others to see.

Giffen, M. (2008, March 2). Online Privacy. Current Health, p. 8-11. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

The Facebook Effect

Link ---> The Facebook Effect

Facebook is an Internet platform that connects friends, family, and long-lost acquaintances.  Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, aimed to create the most applicable and practical Web tool in the world.  He and a friend developed a software program called Synapse.  Microsoft and other tech companies offered close to $1 million for the software program.  Also offering Mark to forgo college and come to work for them.  Mark declined and instead enrolled at Harvard. By 2004 his sophomore year he had launched Facebook.com. Its user base of over half a billion makes an increasing rate of about $25 million a month.  Facebook has generated a remarkable mass that appeal that spans countries, generations, and cultures.  This genius idea has made Mark Zuckerberg one of the youngest billionaires in the nation.


Holahan, J. (2010, June 7). The Facebook Effect. Christian Science Monitor, p. N.PAG. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

"Where I Lived and What I Lived For"

In this essay "Where I Lived and What I Lived For," by Henry David Thoreau, he talks about going to live in the woods.  He wished to live deliberately on only the essential facts of life, and learn what it mean to really live without all the material things being offered. He states that our lives are frittered away by detail and not by what truly matters. "Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life,? is a question he asked.  He believes that there shouldn't be such chaos and fuss over large amounts of food, and luxurious "cluttered" furniture that takes up space in our homes.  He believes that life is all about simplicity.  Living life simple, but to the fullest without being selfish and overwhelmed by unnecessary wants. Everything doesn't always have to be so fast pace.  Even with all the technology, things seem to be happening in such a hurry and changing so fast.  I think this essay is a good example for learning just to take the time and enjoy your life.

Free Post #3 : Skype and Oovoo



[Heres a Link to a Tutorial] --->  How to Use Skype

Skype is an application on the computer that allows people to make voice calls to one another over the Internet. Skype allows you to see other people through the computer via web cam, and talk to them with a microphone, unless you're computer already has one instilled.  Video conferencing is the major use for Skype, to see friends and family, but you can instant message as well.  Another application called Oovoo, does the exact same thing.  Unlike Skype, with Oovoo, you can see and talk to multiple people at once instead of just one. As long as the person has a camera, you can also use Skype or Oovoo on an iphone or ipad.   I find these new technologies to be so incredible. Technology has enhanced so much, who knew you be able to see someone in another state or country through a computer or other device.

"Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

Link --->"Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

According to Nicholas Carr in his article "Is Google Making Us Stupid," he is concerned that something seems to be tinkering with his brain and reprogramming his memory.  He states that his mind isn't going but it is changing.  He once use to enjoy reading and immersing himself in a book, but now he has been spending a lot more time online. Since the Net is becoming a universal medium, people tend to use it to its advantage.  The advantages of having immediate access to any information does seem much more appealing than spending hours on in in libraries searching for the same information you can get instantly. Instead of looking to a reliable source like a book, in today's time, people automatically go to Google or another Internet source for help and information.  This really doesn't help expand your mind into learning new things, but more so as just copying something you "think" is correct because it was found on Google or on another website.  As for my opinion, I don't think Google is necessarily making us stupid.  I think it is a crutch sometimes when were being lazy and need information now and fast, but it also can teach you a lot if you allow your mind to stay focused on wanting to expand your knowledge.  Its your brain, you determine how much knowledge you want to partake in, no Internet source should be an excuse on why you may be "stupid".

Free Post #2 : Technology and the Family

Here is an interesting video I found about family and the use of technology.  For some reason I found this video "Technology and the Family," to be hilarious,  due to the fact that a lot of families do tend to operate this way whether we realize it or not. Even my own family sometimes won't even engage in conversation over dinner because everyone is doing their own thing.  Although we all may be at the dinner table together, or even at a restaurant, technology seems to have our up most attention even if not intended.  Just like in the video, someone is either texting, listening to an ipod, talking on the phone, or on the Internet.  Sometimes the TV even becomes irrelevant and is just there for background noise while everyone tunes into their own choice of technology.  It's just amazing how you can be in a room full of people, sitting right next to one another and no one is talking, everyone is too busy focusing on the technology before them.

Response to Babies and the Media

Link ----> Babies and the Media

I can totally relate to this post; my nieces and all of my little cousins are glued to the television whenever nothing else seems to entertain them.  To be honest I call Disney Channel my personal baby sitter, whenever I'm watching them and one of their programs are on I don't have to do much work. All i have to do is watch them watch TV.  They are so tuned into the TV that they exclude everything else around them.  Sometimes I think it can become a bad habit for when they get older, but since they are babies and toddlers I don't see much harm.  Plus a lot of the new popular cartoons have educational purposes, and not only entertain them but teach them as well.

"Television the Plug-in Drug"

According to Marie Winn in her essay "Television the Plug-in Drug," the TV set has attained the rank of a legal necessity in American society.  When televisions first came out on the market they were too expensive to have more than one.  Everyone would gather around one TV set and watch it together as a family. Now, there's a television in almost every room. Dads in the living room watching the Lakers vs. Celtics game, Moms in the kitchen watching Lifetime, and the children are in their separate rooms watching cartoons like Hannah Montana and Dora the Explorer. As Winn states in her essay, "Through the changes it has made in family life, television emerges as the important influence in children's lives today." Although television is not the only factor that destroys families special quality time, its contribution has caused a great deal of separation.



Now with that, I'm going to go watch TV now. =]

Free Post#1 Babies embracing technology !

It's amazing to me how popular technology is no matter what the age.  I have a little cousin who recently turned two years old and he has his own itouch. I guess it helps him to not throw tantrums out in public when he's cranky, it gives him something to focus on. But when you try to take it away from him its a completely different story, its like his whole world turns upside down and he throws a huge fit. It just amazes me how he fully comprehends hows to use it.  He knows how to put in the password in order to unlock it and get to the games he likes to play.  He also knows how to get to the music and scroll to find the songs he likes to listen to. The world has conformed into this big social network with the use of technology, and even children are getting addicted to it.  I wonder what new technology my children will be teaching me how to use in the future!

"The Machine is Us/ing Us"

"The Machine is Us/ing Us" by Michael Walsh Sheppard



I've honestly had to watch this video about four times to try and fully understand the concept to the best of my ability. The point that Michael was trying to get across is that technology is beginning to have a voice of its own and is expanding more and more each day.  Each and every day millions of people are logging on to the Internet and going on websites, clicking on links, sending e-mails, all kinds of things. The computer itself is then learning the patterns we use to access these specific websites or sources. Hyper texts such as HTML and XML can link anywhere virtually, making digital text much more flexible than written text. The machine is picking up on different texts we use to communicate and basically "uses" us for the information we provide to expand its capability.  I personally love all the new technology. Being able to access a source in two seconds versus having to go look it up in a book seems to be so much easier.  Although technology seems to be taking over the world and it may seem a little bit scary, I think it has its benefits for everyone.

Johnson, S. Games

Johnson, S. (2011). Games. In S. Cohen (Ed.) , 50 Essays (pp. 196-201). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.

The topic of the essay “Games” by Steven Johnson is video games and how they have been unfairly criticized. Though Johnson is aiming for us to remain avid readers and not just learn from video games, he suggests that video games may have more benefits than are conventionally understood. He claims that although playing video games improve visual intelligence and hand-eye coordination, they don’t do justice to the imaginative experience of reading a book. At the same time, the increasing complexity and sophistication of modern video games has been distorted. Johnson cites parenting expert Dr. Spock and Andrew Solomon to support his claims. Johnson’s essay shows how the increasing penetration of electronic media into every aspect of our lives may hold both loss, as in the decline of reading, and promise, as in games’ novel ways of entertaining and informing us

Hey Everyone !

I've finally created my blog and have got to learn how to get use to using it.  But until then welcome !